Lake Baikal
One of the world’s oldest geographical features (formed 25 to 30 million years ago), magnificent Lake Baikal (Озеро Байкал) is the highlight of Eastern Siberia. Summer travellers enjoy gobsmacking vistas across waters of the deepest blue to soaring mountain ranges on the opposite shore; rarer winter visitors marvel at its powder-white surface, frozen steel-hard and scored with ice roads. Whether they swim in it, drink its water, skirt its southern tip by train, cycle or dog sled over it in winter, or just admire it from 2000km of shoreline, most agree that Siberia doesn’t get better than this.
Banana-shaped Baikal is 636km from north to south and up to 1637m deep, making it the world’s deepest lake, containing nearly one-fifth of the planet’s unfrozen fresh water. Despite some environmental concerns, it’s pure enough to drink in most places, but use common sense. Fed by 300 rivers, it’s drained by just one, the Angara near Listvyanka.
Foreign tourists typically visit Baikal from Listvyanka via Irkutsk, but approaching via Ulan-Ude (for eastern Baikal) produces more beach fun and Severobaikalsk (on the BAM railway) is best for accessing wilderness trekking routes. Choosing well is important, as there’s no round-lake road and the northern reaches are in effect cut off by land from the southern shores. Not even the Great Baikal Trail will create a complete loop, as some stretches of shoreline are just too remote. Hydrofoil connections are limited to summer services in the south plus the Irkutsk–Olkhon–Nizhneangarsk run. Inexplicably, there are virtually no scheduled boat services linking the east and west shores.
Note that the beautiful inland Tunka and Barguzin Valleys are accessed via Baikal towns.
Irkutsk Иркутск
%3952 / Pop 602,000 / Time Moscow +5hr
The de facto capital of Eastern Siberia, pleasantly historic Irkutsk is by far the most popular stop on the Trans-Siberian Railway between Moscow and all points east. With Lake Baikal a mere 70km away, the city is the best base from which to strike out for the western shoreline. Amid the 19th-century architecture, revived churches, classy eateries and numerous hostels, plentiful English-speaking agencies can help you plan anything from a winter trek across the lake’s ice to a short walking tour through the city.
In recent years Irkutsk has seen something of a tourist boom, spawning a municipally funded information centre, detailed city maps planted at strategic points and a handful of freshly conceived museums, as well as the blockbuster 130 Kvartal project, an entire neighbourhood given over to typical Siberian timber buildings housing new restaurants, bars, cafes and the odd museum.
BAIKAL’S ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Home to an estimated 60,000 nerpa seals as well as hundreds of endemic species, Lake Baikal is beautiful, pristine and drinkably pure in most areas. As it holds an astonishing 80% of Russia’s fresh water, environmentalists are keen to keep things that way. In the 1960s, despite the pressures of the Soviet system, it was the building of Baikal’s first (and only) lakeside industrial plant that galvanised Russia’s first major green movement. That plant, the Baikalsk Pulp and Paper Mill, was a major polluter of the lake until it closed in 2013.
But the ecosystem extends beyond the lake itself. Another challenge includes polluted inflows from the Selenga River, which carries much of Mongolia’s untreated waste into the lake. The most contentious of recent worries is the US$16 billion Eastern Siberia oil pipeline which runs from Tayshet to the Pacific coast. Completed in 2009, the route deliberately loops north, avoiding the lakeshore itself. But with a potential 1.6 million barrels of oil flowing daily across the lake’s northern water catchment area, an area highly prone to seismic activity, environmentalists fear that a quake-cracked pipeline could gush crude into Baikal’s feedwaters.
For more information, see the websites of regional ecogroups Baikal Wave (http://baikalwave.blogspot.co.uk), Baikal Watch (www.earthisland.org/baikal) and the wonderful Baikal Web World (www.bww.irk.ru), which has lots about the wildlife, history and legends of the lake.
History
Founded in 1661 as a Cossack garrison to extract the fur tax from the indigenous Buryats, Irkutsk was the springboard for 18th-century expeditions to the far north and east, including Alaska – then known as ‘Irkutsk’s American district’.
As Eastern Siberia’s trading and administrative centre, Irkutsk dispatched Siberian furs and ivory to Mongolia, Tibet and China in exchange for silk and tea. Constructed mostly of local timber, three-quarters of the city burnt down in the disastrous blaze of 1879. However, profits from the 1880s Lena Basin gold rush swiftly rebuilt the city’s most important edifices in brick and stone.
Known as the ‘Paris of Siberia’, Irkutsk did not welcome news of the October Revolution. The city’s well-to-do merchants only succumbed to the red tide in 1920, with the capture and execution of White Army commander Admiral Kolchak, whose controversial statue was re-erected in 2004. Soviet-era planning saw Irkutsk develop as the sprawling industrial and scientific centre that it remains today.
1Sights
Irkutsk’s centre can be easily explored on foot – you’ll only need to hop aboard a bus or marshrutka to see the Angara Dam and the Znamensky Monastery.
Volkonsky House-MuseumMUSEUM
(Дом-музей Волконского
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-207 532; per Volkonskogo 10; R200, with Trubetskoy House-Museum R300; 
h10am-6pm Tue-Sun)
The duck-egg-blue and white home of Decembrist Count Sergei Volkonsky, whose wife Maria Volkonskaya cuts the main figure in Christine Sutherland’s unputdownable book The Princess of Siberia, is a small mansion set in a scruffy courtyard with stables, a barn and servant quarters. Renovated in the late 1980s, the house is now a museum telling the story of the family's exile in Irkutsk.
In the decade leading up to the Volkonskys' return to St Petersburg in 1856, the house was the epicentre of Irkutsk cultural life, with balls, musical soirées and parties attended by wealthy merchants and high-ranking local officials. A tour of the building, with its big ceramic stoves and original staircases, takes visitors from the family dining room, where governor Muravyov-Amursky once feasted on fruit and veg grown by Volkonsky himself in the garden out back, to the upstairs photo exhibition including portraits of Maria and other women who romantically followed their husbands and lovers into exile.
Emotionally charged items on show include Maria's pyramidal piano, a browsable book of images collected by fellow Decembrist wife Ekaterina Trubetskaya of the various places the Decembrists were imprisoned, and Maria's music box sent from Italy by her sister-in-law.
Znamensky MonasteryMONASTERY
(
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Rabochego Shtaba)
F
Stranded on the wrong side of a thundering roundabout, the 1762 Znamensky Monastery is 1.9km northeast of Skver Kirova. Echoing with mellifluous plainsong, the wonderful interior has muralled vaulting, a towering iconostasis and a gold sarcophagus holding the miraculous relics of Siberian missionary St Inokent. Celebrity graves outside include the nautically themed tomb of Grigory Shelekhov, the man who claimed Alaska for Russia, and a much humbler headstone belonging to Decembrist wife Ekaterina Trubetskaya (directly in front of you as you enter).
White Russian commander Admiral Kolchak was executed by Bolsheviks near the spot where his statue was controversially erected in November 2004 at the entrance to the monastery grounds; the plinth is exaggeratedly high enough to prevent diehard communists from committing acts of vandalism.
Trolleybus 3 trundles this way.
130 KvartalAREA
(130th Block; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; btw uls Sedova & 3 Iyulya)
What does a city boasting some of Siberia’s most impressive original timber architecture do to improve the visitor experience? Yes, that’s right, recreate an entire quarter of yet more wooden buildings, some transported here from other locations, some fake. The unromantically named 130 Kvartal south of the Raising of the Cross Church is nonetheless a pleasant place to stroll, packed with restaurants, cafes and commercial museums, and culminating in Eastern Siberia’s only real 21st-century (and quite impressive) shopping mall.
Guarding the entrance to this timber theme park is a monster bronze babr, the mythical beast that features on Irkutsk's municipal coat of arms. The spot has become a popular place to have that ‘I’ve been to Irkutsk’ photo taken.
Trubetskoy House-MuseumMUSEUM
(Дом-музей Трубецкого
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Dzerzhinskogo 64; R200, with Volkonsky House-Museum R300; h10am-6pm Wed-Mon)
Irkutsk’s second Decembrist house-museum emerged from a recent renovation with English-language information, touchscreens and tinkling background music. This pleasingly symmetrical minimansion was actually built for the daughter of Decembrist Sergei Trubetskoy – the original Trubetskoy house near the Znamensky Monastery burnt down in 1908. The lower level tells the Decembrists' story, from failed coup to arrival in Irkutsk, while the upper floor displays personal items belonging to Ekaterina Trubetskaya, Trubetskoy's French wife who died in Irkutsk.
Usadba SukachevaMUSEUM
(
GOOGLE MAP
; www.sukachoff.ru; ul Dekabrskikh Sobyty 112; R150; h10am-6pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, noon-8pm Thu)
A small park on the edge of the historical centre contains a smattering of beautiful wood-lace buildings and arbours. These house exhibitions dedicated to the family of 19th-century benefactor Vladimir Sukachev, who lived here until the October Revolution. The collection includes period furniture and paintings by old Spanish and Dutch masters. Perhaps the most touching bit is the recreated 'winter garden' – an indoor greenhouse filled with exotic tropical plants.
Sculpture GalleryGALLERY
(Галерея скульптуры
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-487 054; www.museum.irk.ru; ul Sverdlova 16; R50; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun)
Opened in 2016, this lovely gallery puts in the spotlight Russian and Soviet sculpture previously kept in the city's main art museum and private collections, but the true highlights here are the whimsical creations of modern artists working with multicoloured Siberian gems.
Bronshteyn GalleryGALLERY
(Галерея Бронштейна
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-209 208; www.vbgallery.ru; ul Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii 3; adult/child R150/50; h11am-8pm)
A large and sparkling new modern-art venue that most prominently features a collection of Dashi Namdakov’s sculptures inspired by Buddhist prayer dolls used by Buryats. Also clearly inspired by Dalí. Very competently curated temporary exhibitions of local artists.
Statue of Tsar Alexander IIIMONUMENT
(Памятник Александру III MAP GOOGLE MAP )
Adorning the Angara embankment, a recast statue of Alexander III (a copy of the 1904 original) has the only tsar ever to visit Siberia looking as though he’s holding an invisible balloon on a string.
Raising of the Cross ChurchCHURCH
(Krestovozdvizhenskaya tserkov; MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Sedova 1)
The 1758 baroque Raising of the Cross Church has a fine interior of gilt-edged icons and examples of intricate brickwork in a rounded style that’s unique to Irkutsk and the Selenga Delta village of Posolskoe.
Saviour’s ChurchCHURCH
(Спасская церковь MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.spashram.irk.ru; ul Sukhe-Batora 2)
Constructed in 1706, this is the oldest stone-built church in Eastern Siberia and has remnants of the original murals on its facade. Until the late 1990s it housed a museum, hence the rather bare interior.
Regional MuseumMUSEUM
(Краеведческий музей
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-333 449; www.museum.irkutsk.ru; ul Karla Marksa 2; R200; h10am-7pm Tue-Sun)
Irkutsk’s rapidly ageing Regional Museum occupies a fancy 1880s brick building that formerly housed the Siberian Geographical Society, a club of Victorian-style gentlemen explorers. The highlights here are the downstairs ethnographical exhibitions and the nostalgic display of 20th-century junk upstairs, as well as the small gift shop selling birch-bark boxes, jewellery made from Baikal minerals and other interesting souvenirs.
Bogoyavlensky CathedralCHURCH
(Богоявленский собор MAP GOOGLE MAP ; ul Sukhe-Batora 1a)
This fairytale ensemble of mini onion domes atop restored salmon, white and green towers first appeared on the Irkutsk skyline in 1718, but during the Soviet decades it served as a dormitory and a bakery. The interior is a fragrant riot of aureoled Byzantine saints with no surface left plain.
Sukachev Regional Art MuseumMUSEUM
(Иркутский областной художественный музей имени В. П. Сукачёва
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.museum.irk.ru; ul Lenina 5; R150; h10am-6pm Tue-Sun)
The grand old art museum has a valuable though poorly lit collection ranging from Mongolian thangkas (Tibetan Buddhist religious paintings) to Russian Impressionist canvases. However, the main reason for coming here may be to see a top-notch temporary show (extra charge).
Museum of City LifeMUSEUM
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Dekabrskikh Sobyty 77; R120; h10am-6pm Thu-Tue)
This small museum filling six rooms of a former merchant’s house illustrates just why 19th-century Irkutsk was nicknamed the ‘Paris of Siberia’. Changing exhibitions of everyday and decorative items such as lamps, dolls, tableware and porcelain are donated free of charge by the people of Irkutsk and are displayed against a background of period wallpaper, elegant double doors and high ceilings. The ticket is also valid for the tiny Tea Museum above the tourist office opposite.
City History MuseumMUSEUM
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.history.irk.ru; ul Frank-Kamenetskogo 16a; R120; h10am-6pm Thu-Tue)
Despite its palatial 19th-century home (built by wealthy merchant Sibiryakov in 1884), what should be Irkutsk's main repository of the past is in fact a rather limited exhibition on the city's history with absolutely nothing in English. Highlights include some interesting pre-Russian wooden yurts and tepees, a model of the Kazansky Church, some fascinating blown-up photos of 19th-century Irkutsk, and a 20th-century section with bric-a-brac from the Revolution up to the late 1990s.
Angara DamLANDMARK
( GOOGLE MAP )
Some 6km southeast of the centre, the 1956 Angara Dam is 2km long. Its construction raised Lake Baikal by up to 1m and caused environmental problems, most notably the silencing of the so-called singing sands on Baikal’s eastern shore. The dam itself is hardly an attraction but moored nearby is the Angara icebreaker (
GOOGLE MAP
; www.angara.gavailer.ru; ul Marshala Zhukova 36a; R150; h10am-9pm).
Originally imported in kit form from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to carry Trans-Siberian Railway passengers across Lake Baikal (the trains went on her bigger sister ship Baikal, sunk during the Russian Civil War), this icebreaker is now a less-than-inspiring museum reached by a permanent gangway. Trolleybuses 3, 5, 7 and 8 head this way.
Kazansky ChurchCHURCH
( GOOGLE MAP ; ul Barrikad 34)
The gigantic Kazansky Church is a theme-park-esque confection of salmon-pink walls and fluoro turquoise domes topped with gold baubled crosses. Get off tram 4 two stops northeast of the bus station.
2Activities
Basninskiye BaniBATHHOUSE
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-722 832; http://basninskiebani.ru; ul Sverdlova 35; before/after 4pm R900/1100; hnoon-11pm Mon-Fri, 10am-11pm Sat & Sun)
Come to this renovated bathhouse to steam off railway slime and fatigue. There are separate departments for men and women, to enjoy Turkish hammam in addition to traditional Russian banya. Foam massage is available in both departments.
Baikal AdventureADVENTURE SPORTS
(%8-902-768 0505; www.baikal-adventure.com)
Energetic agency specialising in adventurous trekking, biking, climbing and caving trips, and full-blown expeditions.
Baikal SecretsTREKKING
(%8-914-949 1462; www.baikalsecrets.com)
English-speaking Ivan and Yekaterina run summer and winter trekking tours on Baikal and in Tunka Valley.
SOMETHING FISHY
No trip to Baikal is complete without tasting omul, a distant relative of salmon that’s delicious when freshly hot-smoked. There are over 50 other varieties of Baikal fish, including perch, black grayling, ugly frilly-nosed bullheads and tasty sig (lake herring). While the lake isn’t Russia’s greatest place for anglers, from February to April it offers the unusual spectacle of ice fishing. There are two forms: individuals with immense patience dangle miniature hooked lines through Inuit-style ice holes; elsewhere, especially in shallow waters, whole teams of villagers string long, thin nets beneath the ice and pull out omul by the hundred.
You can get beneath the ice yourself with Irkutsk-based scuba-diving outfit Baikal Tek (www.baikaldiving.ru). But the lake’s greatest divers are the unique nerpa seals. Indigenous to Lake Baikal, they are the only seal in the world to spend its entire existence in a freshwater environment. They thrive in many locations on the lake’s shore, but usually (and wisely) stay away from human populations.
TTours
Local tour companies are useful not only for organising excursions but also for booking hotels and most kinds of tickets. All of Irkutsk’s hostels can arrange Baikal tours.
BaikalerTOURS
(%3952-336 240, 8-908-663 3142; www.baikaler.com)
Imaginative Jack Sheremetoff speaks very good English and is well tuned to budget-traveller needs. Original personalised tours, two great hostels and a friendly welcome.
Denis SobnakovTOURS
Sharing his time between Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude, one of Siberia's best guides offers tours to Olkhon and the southwestern shores of Baikal, as well as elsewhere around the region. Contact by email.
BaikalComplexTOURS
(%3952-461 557; www.baikalcomplex.com)
Well-organised operation offering Lake Baikal accommodation and trips tailored for international travellers.
BaikalinfoTOURS
(%3952-707 012; www.baikalinfo.ru)
Baikal tours as well as transfers, hikes and fishing trips.
BaikalExplorerTOURS
(%8-902-560 2440; www.baikalex.com)
Baikal cruises, fishing and diving trips, treks in Tunka Valley.
Green ExpressTOURS
(%3952-734 400; www.greenexpress.ru)
Professional outfit specialising in outdoor activities.
4Sleeping
Irkutsk is struggling to catch up with the ever-increasing flow of Chinese and Russian tourists. Hostels are mushrooming, but there is a serious shortage of quality midrange options, so try to book in advance, especially if you are travelling during the high summer season or in February and March.
oBaikaler HostelHOSTEL$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-336 240; www.baikaler.com; ul Lenina 9, apt 11; dm R600, d with shared bathroom R1500; 
a
i
W)
Experienced tour guide Jack Sheremetoff had a super-central apartment hostel in Irkutsk long before the word even entered the Russian language. Despite competition, the city's original backpacker haven is still the place to meet travellers and organise trips. The spotless, air-conditioned dorms are spacious, but beds are limited so book ahead. The entrance is at the rear of the building.
Trans-Sib HostelHOSTEL$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-904-118 0652; www.irkutsk-hostel.com; per Sportivniy 9a, apt 8; dm/d from R750/1000; iW)
Well-established, cosy backpacker hostel around a 10-minute walk from the train station offering a kitchen, washing machine, a high bathroom-to-bed ratio and one of the best ranges of owner-led tours in town. Rates include a light breakfast.
52°17' Travel CenterHOSTEL$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-725 217; https://5217.co; ul Gryaznova 15a; dm/tw R700/1800)
The stated goal of opening sister hostels in every major city of the world is yet to be achieved, so for now this hyper-ambitious project is confined to a section of a quaint wooden cottage and has just one dorm sleeping 10. But it's a cosy place run by avid travellers, who also offer a variety of Baikal tours.
Best HostelHOSTEL$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-242 091; www.hostel-irkutsk.com; ul Karla Marksa 41; dm R65-850, d R1700-4000)
Yet to live up to its immodest self-description, this airy modern place stands out in the long list of Irkutsk's claustrophobic converted-flat hostels. Orthopaedic mattresses and a large, well-equipped kitchen area are among other virtues.
Hostel KatyushaHOSTEL$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-914-899 9011; www.katyusha.club; ul Timiryazeva 6; dm from R450, d R1800)
Freshly opened when we visited, this brightly coloured hostel occupies a new building and has lots of common space, unlike its labyrinthine competitors in Irkutsk old town. Breakfast is available for an extra R150.
Rolling Stones HostelHOSTEL$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-950-050 2888; www.vk.com/hostelrs; ul Karla Libknekhta 6; dm R600, d with/without bathroom R2400/1600; W)
This fashionably designed (think lots of wood and bare brick surfaces), if slightly cavernous, hostel is run by two young travel enthusiasts, who can help with trips to Baikal and elsewhere in the region. Bunk beds with orthopaedic mattresses are built in the manner of pigeon holes, so you can hide in your private little world protected from outside views.
Admiral HostelHOSTEL$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-902-560 2440; www.irkutskhotel.irk.ru; ul Cheremkhovsky 6, apt 1; dm R500-600, d with shared bathroom R1500-1600; iW)
With its Kolchak-inspired name, this cosy 13-bed apartment hostel has become well-established digs for Trans-Siberian wanderers. The lower bunks sport privacy curtains, staff sell bus tickets to Olkhon Island, there’s a free (light) breakfast and you can even get your washing done. Enter from the rear of the building.
ModulHOTEL$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-950-055 5519; ul Trilissera 57; s/d from R1800/2400)
Not your honeymoon dream, but a budget hotel that goes an extra mile to compensate for cheap decor and drab surroundings. Smallish rooms are clean and come with a little dining table, lots of kitchenware, a kettle and a fridge. The wooden barracks-style building is tucked in the courtyard of a high-rise apartment block, a short walk from the centre.
Hotel YevropaHOTEL$$
(Гостиница Европа
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-291 515; www.europehotel.ru; ul Baikalskaya 69; s/d from R3600/4300; aW)
Behind nine Doric columns, immaculate rooms are realistically priced at this gleaming four-star favourite. Reception staff speak English and the Western-style breakfast is reportedly the best in town.
Hotel SayenHOTEL$$$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-500 000; www.sayen.ru; ul Karla Marksa 13b; r from R9300; aW)
Described by some as the finest luxury sleep east of the Urals, this very central Japanese hotel gets rave reviews and justifiably so. The 24 rooms enjoy design-mag decor, big baths and gadgets galore, going beyond the standards of many Western hotels. Twenty-four-hour room service, two pricey restaurants and a celebrated Japanese spa provide additional ways to lighten your wallet of roubles.
Kupechesky DvorHOTEL$$$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-797 000; www.kupecheskyhotel.ru; ul Sedova 10; d/tw R5400/6200; W)
Rising high above the 130 Kvartal, this professionally run, freshly minted timber hotel mixes traditional wooden architecture with boldly contemporary design features. The 14 rooms come with big colour-swirl carpets, retro light switches, revolving TV towers and some of the best bathrooms in the city. The English-speaking service is top-drawer and breakfast in the tiny reception area is included.
MarussiaBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-500 252; www.marussiahotel.ru; ul Sedova 12; s/d R4900/5600; W)
This timber-built 14-room boutique hotel in the 130 Kvartal has an unpretentious feel with a brown-beige colour scheme and stripped wooden floors sporting rustic rugs but with 21st-century bathrooms. Breakfast is taken in the hotel’s first-rate cafe and receptionists speak your lingo.
Hotel ViktoriaHOTEL$$$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-986 808; www.victoryhotel.ru; ul Bogdana Khmelnitskogo 1; s R3600-4000, d R4200-4600; aiW)
Just a few steps off ul Karla Marksa, the 30 rooms at this purpose-built tower hotel remain stylish and unfrumpy despite the antique-style furniture and flowery wall coverings. If you’ve been in Russia a while, the courteous staff, baths in every room and online booking could feel almost eccentric. Lower rates from September through to May.
Hotel ZvezdaHOTEL$$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-540 000; www.zvezdahotel.ru; ul Yadrintseva 1ж s/d from R4500/5500; aW)
Within a Swiss chalet–style building, the 64 rooms here are modern and comfortable, service is pleasant and English is spoken, though you’d expect little less for these room rates. Its atmospheric restaurant specialises in game and exotic meats.
5Eating
SlataSUPERMARKET
(Слата
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Karla Marksa 21; h24hr)
Supermarkets are surprisingly rare in central Irkutsk so this centrally located, open-all-hours store is a godsend. Stocks a lot of ready-to-eat meals (meatballs, steaks, salads), ideal for long train journeys.
Poznaya na LeninaBURYAT$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Lenina 25; mains R120-180; h9am-11pm)
With a stylishly dark interior and Buryat-themed modern paintings on the walls, this otherwise unpretentious cheapie is possibly the best place to sample pozy (R40 per person) and other Buryat-Mongolian fare in the city. The picture menu helps to break the language barrier.
Baikal Love CafeBURYAT$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-964-112 3181; www.instagram.com/baikallove_irkutsk; ul Lenina 32; mains R150-250; h10am-10pm)
For a quick introduction to native Siberians' food, check out this little eatery that serves Buryat buuzy dumplings, bukhlyor meat broth and suguday (Siberian version of ceviche) as well as Russian bliny pancakes and Central Asian noodle dishes. You'll be confronted by a bear skin hanging on the wall as you enter – because Siberia.
New Zealand PiesPASTRIES$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-940 054; https://vk.com/nzpies; ul Sverdlova 8; pies R80; h8am-8pm)
Blown into central Eurasia by Pacific winds (along with myriad secondhand Japanese cars), this tiny joint churns out delicious pies with unusual fillings, from Pacific salmon and giblets in sour cream sauce to strawberries and cherries. Something worth stocking up on before boarding your Trans-Siberian train.
MamochkaCAFE$
(Мамочка
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Karla Marksa 41; mains R80-100; h10am-9pm)
With its menu of imaginative salads, filling soups and (almost) healthy mains, this is no ordinary point-and-eat canteen. Swab the decks with a Slovak lager then sit back and admire the interior, a mishmash of old newspapers and Soviet bric-a-brac.
GovindaVEGETARIAN$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-933 101; 2nd fl, ul Furye 4; mains R50-100; h11am-8pm; a
v)
Irkutsk’s only meat-free restaurant is a small self-service affair with a half-hearted Indian theme and a menu of soya sausages, basmati rice, spicy soups, mild curries, quorn chilli con carne, imaginative desserts and whole plantations of tea.
oKochevnikMONGOLIAN$$
(Кочевник
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-200 459; http://ресторан-кочевник.рф/; ul Gorkogo 19; mains R300-1200; h11am-midnight)
Take your taste buds to the Mongolian steppe for some yurt-size portions of mutton, lamb and steak as well as filling soups and buuzy dumplings, sluiced down with a bottle from the decent foreign wine list. Smiley service, a picture menu, low prices and an exotically curtained summer terrace make this one of the most agreeable places to dine in town.
oRassolnikRUSSIAN$$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.rassolnik.su; 130 Kvartal, ul 3 Iyulya 3; mains R300-700; hnoon-midnight)
Arguably the best eating addition in the 130 Kvartal, this retro restaurant serves up a 100% Soviet-era menu (think upmarket pelmeni, okroshka, shchi, kvas and grandmother's pickles) in a plush Stalinist banqueting hall bedecked in nostalgia-inducing knick-knackery. Classic Soviet-era films are projected onto one wall, the menu is designed like a 1960s scrapbook and waiting staff are dressed for the occasion.
La Boulangerie & PatisserieBAKERY$$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-432 339; ul Karla Marksa 41/1; set menu breakfast R350; h9am-noon)
This is the kind of place Siberia's earliest Francophones, the Decembrists, must have dreamed would emerge in Irkutsk one day. Believe us, no freshly baked croissant feels more invigorating than the one consumed straight after disembarking from a train in the middle of Siberia. A variety of breakfast sets is on offer, including a not fully authentic Full English.
MamayASIAN$$
(Мамай
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-500 560; https://vk.com/mamai_club; 130 Kvartal, ul Sedova 16; mains R350-550; hnoon-1am)
Like a nomad galloping through the steppe, the menu of this large modern restaurant carries goodies poached from all over Asia, from authentic tom yum and East Asian noodles to Siberian specialities, like muksun (white Arctic fish) fillet and Mongolian lamb grilled on charcoal.
Design BarINTERNATIONAL$$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-403 399; www.facebook.com/ilovedesignbar; ul Karla Marksa 40; mains R400-500; hnoon-midnight)
On the 2nd floor of a large interior design store and decorated with a multitude of red Chinese lamps, this intimate eatery-cum-bar serves inventive fusion food as well as cocktails. A great place for lunch (set menu R300 to R350), though getting a table is sometimes tricky.
Belaruskaya GlebaBELARUSIAN$$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-705 701; www.belaruskayagleba.ru; ul Karla Marksa 26a; mains R400-550; hnoon-11pm)
The lengthy menu may apply to Guinness World Records as the longest list of meat and potato combinations, but that's what Belarusian cuisine is largely about. Folksy interior design and oom-pah-pah music are meant to carry you away to the good old Eastern Europe that celebrated calories instead of rejecting them with a scornful face.
Gastobar KamchatkaFUSION$$
(Гастробар Камчатка
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-969 696; https://vk.com/kamchatkairk; 130 Kvartal, ul 3 Iyulya 9; mains R300-500)
This casual fusion eatery has a bit of everything from everywhere, with the actual Kamchatka peninsula represented by kizhuch (Pacific salmon) steak served with Thai salad. You can also have khachapuri (Georgian cheese pastry) and excellent cottage cheese buns with condensed milk. Pop music blared from loudspeakers is a tad annoying.
ParadnayaBURGERS$$
(Парадная
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-958 980; www.instagram.com/restobar_paradnaya; Kievskaya ul 1; mains R350-450; hnoon-11pm)
A gastropub with comfy leather couches, Paradnaya serves gourmet burgers and salads to its hispter clientele. Perfect for beer-fuelled chats with friends and travel companions.
FigaroITALIAN$$
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; www.figaro-resto.com; ul Karla Marksa 22; mains R700-1200; h8am-midnight)
It’s pretty obvious from the outside that Figaro is no ordinary Siberian eatery. The glass-fronted dining space peppered with works of art and graced with unpretentiously stylish laid tables fills daily with diners downing award-winning pastas, seafood platters and meat dishes including lamb, wild boar and duck prepared by real Western European chefs.
Dom RybakaSEAFOOD$$$
(Дом рыбака
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-484 000; ul Partizanskaya 47; mains R400-1100; hnoon-midnight)
You might have already been introduced to Siberian fish, but for fundamental ichthyology head to this upmarket restaurant on the outskirts of the old town. Nelma, chir, taymen and a dozen other fish varieties are served fried, stewed, grilled, as well as fresh – in the form of suguday, the Siberian version of ceviche. No English menu.
6Drinking & Nightlife
oBelaya VoronaCAFE
(Белая ворона
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Karla Marksa 37; h9am-10pm Mon-Fri, 10am-11pm Sat & Sun; W)
Disciples of the bean should definitely head to the ‘White Crow’, a relaxing cellar-based coffee hang-out hiding from view in the cellar of a flower shop on the main drag. A funky soundtrack provides background for caffeine or a late breakfast as you catch up on emails or browse in the small book exchange, wishing you could read the Cyrillic paperbacks.
Brasserie BBBPUB
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; https://vk.com/brasseriebbbirk; ul Karla Marksa 41/1; h9am-midnight)
Belgian Benoit de With ended his career as beer plant manager and set up this great beer place. It has its own beer (cheap) and dozens of kinds of Belgian and other international beers. Belgian and French food is good, but expensive. Quiz shows and football broadcasts are both regular features.
Castro CafeCAFE
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; https://vk.com/castrocafe; 130 Kvartal, ul 3 Iyulya 7; h8.30am-11pm)
This place is cleverly divided into two areas – the downstairs bar for those who want a quick cup of brew, and a brightly coloured upstairs lounge zone with comfy couches and cushions.
Engineria CoffeeCOFFEE
(Инженерия кофе
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-580 404; https://vk.com/engineeriacoffee; ul Karla Libknekhta 2; h8am-8pm)
These guys are nerdishly serious about the brew and if you share their passion, you can spend half an hour talking about percolate, immersion and AeroPress in barely comprehensible industry slang. But the bottom line is they just make great coffee.
Library BarBAR
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-926 925; ul Kalandarashvili 9; h6pm-3am)
Russian literary celebrities stare at you from every wall, so after a few pints of Smolensk craft beer or a selection of great cocktails, you might be treating Mayakovsky as your buddy. But you can find better company than dead poets as the place is located next to three popular hostels, so English-speaking travellers are in no short supply.
Kwak InnBEER HALL
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-201 141; http://kwakinn.ru; Kievskaya ul 2; hnoon-1am)
There is a bit of an American-diner feel about this supposedly Belgian place that belongs to Estonians. But crucially, it has a very good vibe, with friendly service and indeed lots of Belgian beer on tap.
Cheshskaya PivovarnyaPUB
(Чешская пивоварня
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Krasnogvardeyskaya 29; h5pm-2am Tue-Thu, from 4pm Fri & Sat, to midnight Sun & Mon)
You’ll smell this place before you see it as Irkutsk’s unpretentious microbrewery-pub creates its own Pilsner Urquell lager, pumping out a pungent hop aroma in the process.
BierhausPUB
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-550 555; www.bier-haus.ru; ul Gryaznova 1; hnoon-2am Mon-Thu, to 4am Fri & Sat, to midnight Sun; W)
Upmarket Bavarian-style bierstube (beer hall with heavy wooden furniture) serving Newcastle Brown and Guinness as well as German beers and sausages. Enter from ul Karla Marksa.
Lenin Street CoffeeCAFE
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Lenina 9; h8.30am-9pm; W)
Simple, no-nonsense coffee place with a Western feel and pricey drinks. Good central place to hang out and surf the web.
3Entertainment
BenzinLIVE MUSIC
(Бензин
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-204 205; https://vk.com/clubbenzin; ul Fridrikha Engelsa 8b)
A slick entertainment centre with four bars, frequent live gigs and DJ parties.
Rock'n'Roll PubLIVE MUSIC
( MAP GOOGLE MAP ; www.vk.com/rocknrollpub; Kievskaya ul 24)
Head to this cheap no-frills pub and diner to check what Siberian and indie music are about.
Philharmonic HallLIVE MUSIC
(Филармония
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-242 968; www.filarmoniya.irk.ru; ul Dzerzhinskogo 2)
Historic building staging regular children’s shows and musical programs from jazz to classical.
Aistyonok Puppet TheatrePUPPET THEATRE
(Театр кукол Аистёнок
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-205 825; www.aistenok-irkutsk.ru; ul Baikalskaya 32)
Marionette shows for the kiddies.
7Shopping
Central MarketMARKET
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-667 545; ul Chekhova 22; h8am-7pm)
Very central indeed, Irkutsk's well-maintained and perfectly authentic market is the place to stock up on cedar nuts, taiga herbs and Siberian fish, notably the famous Baikal omul, which can be packed in hermetic cellophane for transportation by air.
KaribuCLOTHING
(
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Timiryazeva 34; h10am-7pm Mon-Sat, noon-5pm Sun)
Tiny shop selling beautifully furry unty (traditional deerskin cowboy boots) made on-site and typically costing around R10,000. Some English spoken.
ProdalitBOOKS
(Продалитъ
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Furye 8; h10am-7pm Mon-Fri, to 6pm Sat & Sun)
This large bookstore on the 2nd floor of a small shopping centre sells regional and city maps, Baikal- and Irkutsk-themed coffee-table books and Lonely Planet guides in Russian.
8Information
Post Office (
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Karla Marksa 28; h8am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat & Sun)
Tourist Office (
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-205 018; www.irkvisit.info; ul Dekabrskikh Sobyty 77; h9am-8pm; W) Municipally funded tourist office with English-speaking staff, free wi-fi, free city maps and lots of well-produced brochures and booklets on Irkutsk and Lake Baikal. Between June and August staff are posted at strategic points around the city handing out info.
www.irk.ru Local city info.
www.irkutsk.org Bags of information on every aspect of the city.
8Getting There & Away
Air
Irkutsk’s antiquated little ‘international’ airport (www.iktport.ru) is handily placed near the city centre. Foreign destinations include Bangkok, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo and Ulaanbaatar. Direct flights to Germany were scrapped in 2011 but might restart in the coming years.
For Moscow, there are direct flights with S7 Airlines, Aeroflot and some dodgier airlines (from R15,000, three daily). Iraero provides a crucial link to Kyzyl in Tuva (R4700, two weekly), though Antonov-24 planes are not for the faint-hearted.
Irkutsk also enjoys direct air links to dozens of other domestic destinations, with tickets for all services sold through the convenient Central Air Agency (Центральная авиакасса
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-500 703; http://ikt.moyreys.ru; ul Gorkogo 29; h8am-7pm).
Boat
In summer hydrofoils buzz along the Angara River to Listvyanka and up Lake Baikal to Bolshie Koty, Olkhon Island, Ust-Barguzin and Nizhneangarsk. Departures are from the Raketa Hydrofoil Station (Речной вокзал GOOGLE MAP ; Prichal Raketa) beyond the Angara Dam in Solnechny Mikro-Rayon, two minutes’ walk from bus 16 stop ‘Raketa’. Timetables are posted by the quay. Services in the other direction to Bratsk ( GOOGLE MAP ) leave from a separate jetty in the city centre.
All services are operated by VSRP (%3952-287 115; www.vsrp.ru). Check the English-language website for all times and prices.
Bus
From the partially renovated bus station (
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; https://avtovokzal-on-line.ru; ul Oktyabrskoy Revolyutsii; h5.30am-8pm), book tickets at least a day ahead in summer for Arshan (R400, four to five hours, two daily), Listvyanka (R110, 1¼ hours, hourly) via Taltsy (R90), Bratsk (R1050, 11 hours, eight daily) and Ust-Kut (on the BAM railway; R1800, 16 hours). The station has a left-luggage office.
Minibuses to Ulan-Ude (R1000, seven hours) and Slyudyanka (R200, two hours) depart throughout the day from the train station forecourt, where you can also catch a minibus to Arshan, if more convenient.
Train
Irkutsk has the following rail connections:
ABěijīng kupe R18,200, 70 hours, twice weekly
AChita platskart/kupe from R2600/2900, 16 hours to 20 hours, up to six daily
AKhabarovsk platskart/kupe R6600/10,000, 57 to 65 hours, two daily
AKrasnoyarsk platskart/kupe from R2600/4600, 18 hours, up to nine daily
AMoscow platskart/kupe from R13,000/R16,000, three days and three hours to five days and 18 hours, up to seven daily
ASeverobaikalsk platskart/kupe R3800/R5600, 34 hours, daily
ASlyudyanka elektrichka R180, four hours, four daily
AUlaanbaatar kupe R7200, 27 hours, daily
AUlan-Ude platskart R1600, kupe R1900 to R2300, 6½ hours to 8½ hours, up to nine daily
AVladivostok platskart/kupe R5350/10,700, 72 hours, three daily
8Getting Around
Within the central area, walking is usually the best idea as one-way systems make bus routes confusing.
Frequent trolleybus 4 and bus/marshrutka 20, 80, 90 and countless others connect the city centre with the airport. A taxi to/from the airport costs around R110 with Gett or Maxim.
From the train station, trams 1, 2 and 4A run to ul Lenina and ul Timiryazeva, 4A continuing on to the bus station. Tram 4 links the central market with the bus station.
Gett and Maxim taxi app services are available. A typical fare for a ride in the centre is R90.
WORTH A TRIP
TALTSY MUSEUM OF ARCHITECTURE & ETHNOGRAPHY
About 47km southeast of Irkutsk, 23km before Listvyanka, Taltsy Museum of Architecture & Ethnography (Архитектурно-этнографический музей Тальцы
GOOGLE MAP
; http://talci-irkutsk.ru; R250; h10am-5pm, to 4pm in winter) is an impressive outdoor collection of old Siberian buildings set in a delightful riverside forest. Amid the renovated farmsteads are two chapels, a church, a watermill, some Evenki graves and the eye-catching 17th-century Iliminsk Ostrog watchtower. Listvyanka–Irkutsk buses and marshrutky stop on request at Taltsy’s entrance (look out for the roadside ‘Музей’ sign), and the ticket booth is a minute’s walk through the forest.
Listvyanka Листвянка
%3952 / Pop 1970 / Time Moscow +5hr
As the closest lakeside village to Irkutsk, Listvyanka – aka the ‘Baikal Riviera’ – is the touristy spot where most travellers go to dunk their toes in Baikal’s pure waters. Having picked at omul, admired the hazy views of the Khamar Daban mountains on the opposite shore and huffed their way from one end of the village to the other, most are on a marshrutka back to Irkutsk late afternoon. But there’s more to Listvyanka: stay longer to hike the Great Baikal Trail, discover more about the lake at the Baikal Museum and chill out at one of Siberia’s most eco-friendly sleeps.
If you’re looking for beach fun, the eastern shore (Buryatiya) is the place to build sandcastles. However, what the Buryat shore doesn’t have is Listvyanka’s range of activities: from short boat trips to diving and jet-skiing in the summer and ice mountain biking to lake treks and ice sculpting in the winter.
1Sights
Sourcing a map at Irkutsk’s tourist office before you set off will save a lot of hunting.
Chersky RockNATURAL FEATURE
( GOOGLE MAP )
Listvyanka’s best viewpoint, overlooking the source of the Angara, is named after Jan Czerski, a 19th-century Polish gentleman explorer. It is best accessed via the cable car of the mediocre Eastland ski resort (R300 return). To reach the resort, take a taxi or walk uphill along the road that starts near Baikal Museum.
As a young man, Czerski was exiled to Siberia for taking part in the 1863 uprising against the Russian Empire. Despite a complete lack of formal education, he grew to become one of Russia’s most celebrated geographers and explorers of Siberia.
Retro ParkGARDENS
( GOOGLE MAP ; ul Kulikova 62b; R100)
This garden near the St Nicholas Church is full of wacky sculpture pieces fashioned from old Soviet-era cars and motorbikes. You can check out a few samples attached to the railings on the embankment so you know what to expect before heading there. To find the Retro Park, follow the signs on ul Kulikova.
Baikal MuseumMUSEUM
(
GOOGLE MAP
; www.bm.isc.irk.ru; ul Akademicheskaya 1, Rogatka; R310, minisub R500; h9am-7pm, to 9pm 15 May-15 Sep)
One of only three museums in the world dedicated solely to a lake, this sometimes overly scientific institution examines the science of Baikal from all angles. Pass quickly by the gruesomely discoloured fish samples and seal embryos in formaldehyde to the tanks containing two frolicsome nerpa seals and the various Baikal fish that you may later encounter on restaurant menus.
Another attraction is a minisub simulator, which takes you deep down into Baikal’s nippy waters. Adjoining the building is a park containing over 400 species of plants, some rare or endangered.
St Nicholas ChurchCHURCH
( GOOGLE MAP ; ul Kulikova 90)
Listvyanka’s small mid-19th-century timber church is dedicated to St Nicholas, who supposedly saved its merchant sponsor from a Baikal shipwreck.
2Activities
Baikal Dog Sledding CentreDOG SLEDDING
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-983-412 2694, 8-914-940 4474; http://baikalsled.blogspot.ru; ul Kulikova 136a)
From December to March the centre offers thrilling dog sledding on forest tracks. All kinds of tours are available, from 5km tasters to multiday trans-Baikal ice expeditions costing tens of thousands of roubles. Some English spoken. Book through Baikaler in Irkutsk.
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
THE GREAT BAIKAL TRAIL
Inspired largely by the Tahoe Rim Trail (a hiking path encircling Lake Tahoe in California and Nevada), a small band of enthusiasts began work in summer 2003 on the first section of what was grandly named the Great Baikal Trail (GBT; in Russian, Bolshaya Baikalskaya Tropa, BBT). Every summer since has seen hundreds of volunteers flock to Lake Baikal’s pebbly shores to bring the GBT organisation’s stated aim – the creation of a 2000km-long network of trails encircling the whole of Lake Baikal – closer to fruition. This lofty ambition may still be a far-off dream, but the GBT is nonetheless the first such trail system in all Russia.
These rudimentary bits of infrastructure, the GBT organisation hopes, will attract more low-impact tourists to the region, thus encouraging eco-friendly businesses to flourish and providing an alternative to industrial and mass-tourism development. Volunteers and local activists are also involved in raising awareness of environmental issues among local people, visiting schools and fundraising. Nomination as a finalist in National Geographic’s 2008 Geotourism Challenge is arguably the GBT’s greatest achievement to date and has greatly raised its profile in the world of ecotourism.
Many Baikal explorers simply enjoy trekking the 540km of trails created thus far, but every year young and old from around the world join work crews for a few enjoyable weeks of clearing pathways, cutting steps, creating markers and cobbling together footbridges. Those eager to volunteer should visit the GBT website (www.greatbaikaltrail.org) for more details.
Even if you don't intend to hike all the way to Bolshie Koty (20km away), hitting the trail is one of the best things to do in Listvyanka. To access it from the embankment, walk up ul Gudina (look out for Nerpinarium) until it becomes a dirt track that goes parallel to a little stream.
As you ascend, the trail will eventually bring you to an observation point with magnificent views of Baikal. From there, it starts descending to the shore, along which the rest of the route continues. For a full-length guided trek, contact Baikaler in Irkutsk.
4Sleeping
Many Irkutsk tour agents and even some hostels and hotels have their own guesthouse or homestay in Listvyanka. For turn-up-and-hope homestays, the best street to try first is ul Chapaeva.
oBelka HostelHOSTEL$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-952-626 1251; www.baikaler.com; ul Chapaeva 77a; dm/tw R600/1500; i)
S
This purpose-built hostel located at the far end of ul Chapaeva provides top-notch digs for backpacker prices, leaving Listvyanka’s other flat-footed accommodation in its green wake. From the energy-saving light bulbs and basalt-foam insulation to the solar-heated water and solar-generated electricity, owner Jack Sheremetoff has crafted a low-impact haven with lots of personal touches.
Start the day with a bit of sun worship on the yoga deck and breakfast on the forest-facing chill-out area; end it with a scramble up the mini climbing wall and a scrub-down in the banya before snuggling up in a handmade timber bed (no bunks) in an en-suite dorm. Two guest kitchens, 24-hour reception and many other features you won’t find anywhere else. Booking well ahead is essential.
No fibre-optic cable laid in this part of Listvyanka, so sadly no wi-fi.
DerevenkaHOTEL$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-914-877 5599; www.baikal-derevenka.ru; ul Gornaya 1; s/d from R1500/2000, tent pitch R200; W)
On a ridge behind the shore road, cute little wooden huts (named after Baikal’s winds) with stove-heaters, private toilets and hot water (but shared showers) offer Listvyanka’s most appealing semibudget choice. Behind the complex is Listvyanka’s only official camp site. Rates include breakfast.
Gavan BaikalaGUESTHOUSE$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-500 620; www.gavanbaykal.com; ul Gudina 84; d/q R3000/4500)
This chalet-styled log house has a large common balcony with a distant view of the lake, and pine-scented rooms with soft mattresses and good shower cabins. Breakfast is served in the Chekhovian dining room. Conveniently located on the road leading up to the Great Baikal Trail.
Baikal ChaletGUESTHOUSE$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-914 895 1961, 3952-462 244; www.baikalcomplex.com; ul Gudina 75; tw R3200)
The 13 comfortable twin rooms in this timber guesthouse around 800m back from the lake are a good deal. Its sister guesthouse in Bolshie Koty offers similar rates and standards. Breakfast included.
PriboyHOTEL$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-496 725; http://hotel-priboy.ru; upper fl, ul Gorkogo 101; r from R3500)
Spitting distance from the lake in the port area, this glass-and-steel hunk of incongruity has seen renovation in recent years, rendering the four lake-view rooms some of the best deals in town. The other 15 chambers are less spectacular but rates include breakfast taken in the downstairs cafe.
Dream of Baikal HotelHOTEL$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-496 888; www.dreamofbaikal.ru; ul Gorkogo 105; s R3500-5500, d R3800-5600; W)
Set just an endemic species’ throw from Baikal’s lulling waves/crumbly ice, this newish, clumsily named, purpose-built hotel by the market is a step up from Listvyanka’s usual timber guesthouses. Rooms bedecked in generous drapery are packed with faux-antique furniture. The reception works 24 hours, apart from when the receptionist dozes off just after lunch.
U OzeraHOTEL$$$
(У Озера
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-496 777; www.listvjanka-baikal.ru; Irkutsk Hwy km3; d R4000-5000, cottages R5500; W)
Just 10m from the shoreline, it’s not surprising that all nine rooms (doubles only) at this small hotel have wonderful lake views. Rooms are a little too intimate but have balconies where you can stretch out. The cottages sleeping two lack the views but offer more space. Located between Krestovka and Rogatka.
Krestovaya padHOTEL$$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-496 863; www.krestovayapad.ru; ul Gornaya 14a; tw & d from R6500; W)
This stylishly upmarket complex, with very comfortable international-standard pine-clad rooms, dominates the hillside above Krestovka.
Hotel MayakHOTEL$$$
(Отель Маяк
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-496 910; www.mayakhotel.ru; ul Gorkogo 85a; r from R4000; W)
There were once (now mothballed) plans to transform Listvyanka and other villages on the shores of Lake Baikal into purpose-built resorts with plasticky upmarket hotels like the ‘Lighthouse’. The village’s most in-your-face hotel has Western-standard rooms, a good restaurant and an unbeatable location near the hydrofoil quay.
5Eating
Near the port, the large fish and souvenir market is the best place to buy smoked omul and is surrounded by greasy spoons offering cheap plov and shashlyk.
Café PodlemoreCAFE$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Gorkogo 31; mains R200-300; h9am-midnight)
The Podlemore has porridge and oven-fresh pastries, but rather flummoxed serving staff. Early opening makes it a popular breakfast halt.
Listvyanka ClubRUSSIAN$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-496 739; ul Sudzilovskogo 2; mains R300-500; h10am-11pm)
This new airy lakeside place focuses on Baikal fish, with omul cooked in cedar-seed juice (Russians call it cedar milk), bringing together the two most iconic local staples. There is also an ample list of meat dishes, including a good variety of homemade pelmeni dumplings.
Proshly VekRUSSIAN$$
(Прошлый век
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Lazo 1; meals R460-700; hnoon-midnight)
Listvyanka’s most characterful eatery has a nautical theme, a fish-heavy menu and Baikal views. The upper floor is filled with fascinating old junk, which you can admire while tucking into omul done any which way you please.
Berg HouseRUSSIAN$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Gorkogo 59; mains R400-500; h11am-2am; W)
Between the Mayak Hotel and the post office, this Anglophone-friendly cafe has understatedly laid picnic tables, pleasant service, large portions of fish and meat, as well as draft beer.
8Orientation
The village extends 4.5km from Rogatka at the mouth of the Angara to the market area. A single road skirts the shore, with three valleys running inland where most of Listvyanka’s characterful timber dwellings and accommodation options are located. There’s no public transport, which can mean some very long walks.
8Information
ATMs can be found in the Mayak and Priboy hotels.
Post Office (
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Gorkogo 49; h8am-1pm & 2-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat)
Tourist Office (
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-656 099; hydrofoil quay; h10am-6pm) Located at the marshrutka terminus (there are several imposters), this surprisingly useful office hands out free maps as well as providing bus, ferry and hydrofoil timetables and offering imaginative Baikal boat trips. Bike rental available.
8Getting There & Away
Hourly marshrutky (R120, luggage R50, 1¼ hours) leave for Irkutsk from outside the tourist office (where tickets are bought). The last service departs at 9pm.
From mid-May to late September, hydrofoils stop at Listvyanka between Irkutsk and Bolshie Koty three times a day.
A tiny, battered car ferry lumbers across the never-frozen Angara River mouth to Port Baikal from Rogatka four times a day mid-May to mid-October, and just twice a day in the winter months.
Contact VSRP in Irkutsk for details of all these boat services.
WORTH A TRIP
BOLSHIE KOTY БОЛЬШИЕ КОТЫ
Tiny and roadless, this serene Baikal village is what the great Siberian escape is all about. But things weren’t always this quiet: in the 19th century Koty experienced a mini gold rush and boasted soap and candle factories, a glassworks, churches and a school. Today all that’s long over, leaving Irkutsk bourgeoisie to assemble their lakeside dachas in peace.
A section of the Great Baikal Trail runs between Koty and Listvyanka, and is a fabulous full- or half-day hike (around 20km). Take plenty of food (drink from the lake) as there’s none en route.
Two-day guided treks from Listvyanka to Bolshie Koty with Baikaler cost R7000 person (provided there are at least two people to form a group), including accommodation and food.
The only other way to reach Bolshie Koty (unless you hike from Listvyanka) is aboard one of the three hydrofoils a day from Irkutsk (via Listvyanka). Check VSRP for times and ticket prices. Winter ice roads briefly unite the village with the outside world.
Three minutes’ walk from the hydrofoil quay is the Lesnaya 7 Hostel (
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-904-118 7275; www.lesnaya7.com; ul Lesnaya 7, Bolshiye Koty; dm R700; hsummer only; i).
Port Baikal Порт Байкал
%3952 / Pop 1960 / Time Moscow +5hr
You’d be excused for dismissing Port Baikal as a rusty semi-industrial eyesore when seen from Listvyanka across the unbridged mouth of the Angara River. But it has a melancholic appeal, with a pretty train station teleported here from somewhere in Central Europe and a port where derelict vessels are laid to rest. A kilometre southwest of the port, Baranchiki is a ramshackle ‘real’ village with lots of unkempt but authentic Siberian cottages and a couple of accommodation options. Awkward ferry connections mean that Port Baikal remains largely uncommercialised, lacking Listvyanka’s attractions but also its crowds. It’s thus popular with more meditative visitors, but the main draw is that it’s both the beginning and terminus of the Circumbaikal Railway.
From 1900 to 1904 the Trans-Siberian Railway tracks from Irkutsk came to an abrupt halt at Port Baikal. They continued on Lake Baikal’s far-eastern shore at Mysovaya (Babushkin), and the watery gap was plugged by ice-breaking steamships, including the Angara, now restored and on view in Irkutsk. Later, the tracks were pushed south and around the lake. This Circumbaikal line required so many impressive tunnels and bridges that it earned the nickname ‘The Tsar’s Jewelled Buckle’. With the damming of the Angara River in the 1950s, the original Irkutsk–Port Baikal section was submerged and replaced with an Irkutsk–Kultuk shortcut (today’s Trans-Siberian). That left poor little Port Baikal to wither away at the dead end of a rarely used but incredibly scenic branch line.
1Sights
Museum of Circum-Baikal RailwayMUSEUM
(
GOOGLE MAP
; Port Baikal railway station; R30; hopens by request)
Housed inside the nicely restored train station, this new and informative exhibition tells the story of Circumbaikal Railway. Toy-train buffs will be delighted by the vintage scaled models of main tunnels.
4Sleeping & Eating
U Starogo MayakaHOTEL$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-643 994, 3952-645 915; Port-Baikal; dm R800, d from R2200)
Not too busy with its main occupation, Port Baikal's pretty railway station is part-timing as a hotel. Clean and bland in an almost nostalgically Soviet way, the rooms on the station's 2nd floor are perfect for spending a night, if you are late for the last ferry to Listvyanka.
Fort BaikalGUESTHOUSE$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-242 415, 8-908-668 73 91; www.fortbaikal.ru; Shcholka pad; cabins per person R1200; 
s)
Around 2km away from Port Baikal and geared primarily for domestic tourists, this modern turbaza has summer-only rustic log houses with funky wooden fixtures, traditional wooden stoves and authentic samovars. Mountain bikes and horses available for hire. Staff can pick you up at the port, if you let them know in advance.
8Getting There & Away
The ferry to Rogatka (R62) near Listvyanka’s Baikal Museum runs five times daily between mid-June and mid-September (at 8.15am, 11.15am, 4.15pm, 6.15pm and 8.15pm), but less frequently out of season and only twice in winter. Check the schedule beforehand. From mid-June to August there are direct hydrofoils to/from Irkutsk. All services are operated by VSRP.
One or two trains a day come via the slow Circumbaikal route from Slyudyanka.
CIRCUMBAIKAL RAILWAY
Excruciatingly slow train ride or a great social event? Opinions are mixed, but taking one of the four-per-week Slyudyanka–Port Baikal trains along the scenic, lake-hugging Circumbaikal Railway remains a popular tourist activity. The most picturesque sections of the route are the valley, pebble beach and headland at Polovinnaya (around halfway), and the bridge area at km149. Note that most trains from Port Baikal travel by night and so are useless for sightseeing. Another thing to remember: if you travel outside summer season, you won't be able to catch a ferry to Listvyanka when you arrive in Port Baikal, so you'll have to overnight there. In summer, the last ferry departs at 8.45pm, so you'll be all right even if your Matanya train arrives late.
The old stone tunnels, cliff cuttings and bridges are an attraction even for non-train buffs who might drive alongside sections of the route on winter ice roads from Kultuk. Hiking the entire route or just sections of the peaceful track is also popular, and walking a couple of kilometres from Port Baikal leads to some pleasant, if litter-marred, beaches. Or get off an Irkutsk–Slyudyanka elektrichka at Temnaya Pad three hours into the journey and hike down the stream valley for about an hour. You should emerge at km149 on the Circumbaikal track, from where you can continue by train to Port Baikal if you time things well.
At the time of research, Matanya trains departed from a side platform at Slyudyanka 1 station at 1.20pm on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday – check timetables carefully. An additional but more expensive tourist train direct from Irkutsk departs at 8.20am on Wednesday and Saturday, reaching Slyudyanka at 10.30am. Except in high summer season, Matanya trains arrive in Port Baikal in the evening after the last ferry for Listvyanka has departed, so organising accommodation in advance is advisable.
An expensive alternative to Matanya is the retro-train tour run by Tu-tu Baikal (
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-500 849; http://tutubaikal.tilda.ws; ul Stepana Razina 26; tour with/without Baikal view seat R5000/4500). An early-20th-century steamer pulls modern comfortable carriages, departing from Irkutsk train station twice a week at 8am and reaching Port Baikal in the evening. From there, people are ferried back to Irkutsk. Make sure you pay R500 extra for a Baikal-view seat, otherwise the trip may turn into a disappointment.
Yet another, fun way of exploring the Circumbaikal Railway is by high-speed boat, which takes people from Listvyanka to Polovinnaya, where it stops for a picnic before returning. Tours run by Krugobaikalsky Ekspress (
MAP
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-202 973; www.krugobaikalka.ru; bul Gagarina 68g; tours adult/child R4700/4000) include transfers to/from Irkutsk.
Olkhon Island Остров Ольхон
Pop 1670 / Time Moscow +5hr
Halfway up Lake Baikal’s western shore and reached by a short ferry journey from Sakhyurta (aka MRS), the serenely beautiful Olkhon Island is a wonderful place from which to view the lake and relax during a tour of Siberia. Considered one of five global poles of shamanic energy by the Buryat people, the 72km-long island’s ‘capital’ is the unlovely village of Khuzhir (Хужир), which has seen quite a serious tourist boom over the last few years, improbably triggered by a song about Baikal winning a TV contest in China.
1Sights & Activities
Escaping Khuzhir’s dusty, dung-splattered streets is the key to enjoying Olkhon. Every morning tours (from R900 per person) leave from Khuzhir’s guesthouses to the north and south of the island, the most popular a seven-hour bounce in a UAZ minivan to dramatic Cape Khoboy at Olkhon’s very northern tip, where Baikal seals sometimes bask.
Driver-guides cook fish soup for lunch over an open fire, but few speak any English. Between January and March, UAZ vans drive at least half the way on ice roads around the island. See the Nikita’s Homestead website (www.olkhon.info) for details of this and other excursions (boat and even airplane trips are on offer in summer). Otherwise, rent a bike and strike out on your own.
In winter, bikes with studded tyres, as well as skates, are available for hire at Nikita’s, but take all food and water with you as there’s none outside Khuzhir.
Shaman RocksLANDMARK
( GOOGLE MAP )
The unmistakable Shaman Rocks are neither huge nor spectacular, but they have become the archetypal Baikal vista found on postcards and travel-guide covers. A long strip of sandy beach lines the Maloe More (Little Sea) east of the rocks.
MuseumMUSEUM
(
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Pervomayskaya 24; R100; h10am-6pm)
Khuzhir’s small museum displays a random mix of stuffed animals, Soviet-era junk, local art and the personal possessions of its founder, Nikolai Revyakin, a teacher for five decades at the school next door.
4Sleeping & Eating
Khuzhir has an ever-growing range of places to stay, though the vast majority of independent travellers bunk down at Nikita’s Homestead. If all 50 rooms at Nikita’s are full, staff can arrange homestays costing around R850, with meals taken at the Homestead canteen. Booking ahead anywhere in Khuzhir is only necessary during July and August.
oNikita’s HomesteadGUESTHOUSE$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-914-895 7865; www.olkhon.info; ul Kirpichnaya 8; r incl breakfast & dinner with/without bathroom from R2200/1800; hreception 8am-11pm)
Occupying a sizeable chunk of Khuzhir, this intricately carved timber complex has grown (and continues to grow) into one of Siberia’s top traveller hang-outs. The basic rooms in myriad shapes and sizes are attractively decorated with petroglyphs and other ethnic finery and heated by wood-burning stoves – but only a select few have showers (put your name down for the banya).
The organic meals are served two times a day in the large canteen near reception and two other (paid) eateries stand behind. There’s a small cycle-hire centre and a packed schedule of excursions and activities. Note there is no alcohol for sale at Nikita's and consumption on the premises is frowned upon.
U OlgiGUESTHOUSE$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-908-661 9015; ul Lesnaya 3-1; full board per person R1300)
This well-liked option has nine rooms, three in a typical village house and six in a purpose-built, pine-fragrant building opposite. New showers and flushing toilets plus scrumptious Siberian fare cooked by Olga herself make this a winner every time. Book through Baikaler in Irkutsk.
SolnechnayaGUESTHOUSE$
(Солнечная
GOOGLE MAP
; %3952-683 216; www.olkhon.com; ul Solnechnaya 14; half-board per person R1300-1600; i)
A pleasant place to stay offering a good range of activities. Accommodation is in two-storey cabins and tiny single-room shacks with verandahs. Enter from ul Solnechnaya or from near the relay station at the top of the hill.
VoskresenieGUESTHOUSE$$$
(Воскресенье
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-904-117 7526; olhonsng@gmail.com; ul Pushkina 16; r R4200)
The owners, a former Soviet table-tennis champion and his polyglot wife, indulge in interior design passion, as you will immediately notice when you move into one of only four individually designed rooms that sleep up to three people. Newer ones display a significant progress in both skill and material supply.
The incredibly nice and well-informed hosts also run a cute coffee shop in the premises.
Baikal ViewRESORT$$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-983-698 9460; www.baikalview.com; ul Rossiyskaya 17; s/d incl breakfast from R9000/9850)
Looking from the outside like a research station in Antarctica, this upmarket establishment has rooms with laconic Scandinavian-style interior design featuring many light-coloured wooden surfaces. In summer there is an outdoor swimming pool. Available all year is a nice restaurant and spa that offers bath treatment in a taban-arhan wooden barrel.
8Information
There’s no ATM on the island, so you’ll need to bring enough cash to cover your stay.
8Getting There & Away
The simplest way to reach Olkhon is aboard the marshrutka that leaves Irkutsk’s hostels around 8.30am (R800). Many other services run in July and August but can be impossible to track down in Irkutsk.
With a little warning, agencies or hostels can usually find you a ride in a private car to/from Irkutsk (5½ hours) for R2500 per seat, R10,000 for the whole car. Prices include the short ferry ride to/from MRS – from mid-January to March an ice road replaces the ferry. When ice is partly formed or partly melted, the island is completely cut off for motor vehicles, but there is an ad hoc minihovercraft service operated by locals.
In summer a hydrofoil service operates from Irkutsk to Olkhon, dropping passengers near the ferry terminal, from where it’s possible to hitch a paid lift into Khuzhir. See VSRP for times and prices.
Slyudyanka Слюдянка
%39544 / Pop 18,240 / Time Moscow +5hr
The lakeside railway town of Slyudyanka provides a grittier alternative to Listvyanka for those eager to get up close to Lake Baikal's waves/groaning ice and the Trans-Siberian Railway, which hugs the lake's pebbly shore either side of town. Most alight from a train at the glittering, solid-marble train station, which is a mere five-minute walk from Lake Baikal.
1Sights & Activities
A rather strenuous trail heads up Pik Cherskogo (aka Mt Chersky) along the former post road to Mongolia, which once formed a part of the Silk Route. Turbaza Pik Cherskogo provides accommodation at the top of the mountain, but book in advance.
The annual Peak Chersky race, usually held around 20 August, involves participants running either a section of or the entire 44km distance to the top. Inquire at Delight or Slyudyanka Hostel about dates and participation.
A popular picnic excursion is to Cape Shaman, an easy 4km stroll north towards Kultuk along Baikal’s gravelly shore. Owners of the Slyudyanka Hostel run guided trips there and to the former marble and mica (slyud in Russian, hence the town's name) mines southeast of the town.
Baikal Mineral MuseumMUSEUM
(
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Slyudyanaya 36; R300; h10am-7pm)
Geology buffs should consider heading to the privately run Baikal Mineral Museum, which claims to exhibit every mineral known to man.
East Siberian Railway MuseumMUSEUM
(
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Zheleznodorozhnaya 22; R100; h8am-noon & 1-5pm Mon-Fri)
Amid the nearby railway repair sheds and admin buildings you'll find this fascinating little museum housed in an ornate wooden building set back from ul Zheleznodorozhnaya. There are exhibitions on the Circumbaikal Railway, the history of Slyudyanka and Lake Baikal, plus heaps of railway paraphernalia.
4Sleeping & Eating
Self-catering is your best bet in Slyudyanka, unless you are staying at Delight, where every meal is a feast.
Slyudyanka HostelHOSTEL$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %39544-53 198, 8-902-576 7344; www.hostel-s.com; ul Shkolnaya 10, apt 7; dm R600; i)
Six-bed hostel-homestay at the southern end of town providing a great opportunity to experience small-town Siberian family life. A fully equipped kitchen, heaps of outdoorsy tours and hikes and evenings of authentic Baikal hospitality await those who make the effort to find the place. It’s a 20-minute walk, five-minute marshrutka ride (No 1) or R120 taxi journey along ul Parizhskoy Komuny.
Booking ahead is pretty much essential.
Turbaza Pik CherskogoHOSTEL$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-902-543 6795; https://vk.com/turbazapik; tent pitch/dm R150/500)
For the brave and intrepid who have made it all the way to the top of Chersky Peak, spartan dorms equipped with a gas cooker are available as an alternative to carrying a tent, but book in advance. Water is in very short supply, so a garden shower comes at extra charge – cold/hot water R100/200 per bucket.
DelightHOMESTAY$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-902-178 1788; rufenok@gmail.com; ul Kapotina 14; r R1800)
Trekking and cycling enthusiasts Rufina and Yevgeny run this cosy and well-equipped homestay with just two rooms and a large shared bathroom, which contains a Trans-Siberian traveller's ultimate delight – a full-sized bathtub. For a small extra fee, Rufina cooks excellent dinners as well as breakfasts that by far surpass most served in multistarred hotels.
English-speaking Yevgeny is a wealth of info on Chersky Peak and Tunka Valley hikes, Munku-Sardyk climbs and ice treks on Baikal.
8Getting There & Away
Elektrichki (R70, four daily) from Irkutsk take three hours to arrive at Slyudyanka 1 station; ordinary passenger trains (platskart R850, up to eight daily) take just two hours. Slyudyanka is also the usual starting point for the Circumbaikal Railway trip. From the bus station marshrutky run to Irkutsk (R190, two hours, every 30 minutes). For Arshan, change at nearby Kultuk, reachable by local marshrutka (R36, 20 minutes).
Arshan & Tunka Valley Арша́н и Тункинская долина
%30156 / Pop 2600 / Time Moscow +5hr
Backed by the dramatic, cloud-wreathed peaks of the Eastern Sayan Mountains, the once-drowsy Buryat spa village of Arshan has been rudely awoken from its slumber in recent years. The fast-flowing Kyngyrga River still murmurs with ice-cold water from elevated valleys above the village, the prayer wheels still twirl at the tranquil little Buddhist temples and cows still blunder through the streets, but Russian-style tourism has intruded into the idyllic scene, bringing 24-hour banya, cut-price vodka, pounding stereos and grisly service in its wake. But despite this, Arshan is still the best base in the Tunka Valley from which to strike out into the mountains, with some superb hikes accessible on foot from the village.
1Sights & Activities
Arshan in Buryat means ‘natural spring’ and it’s the pleasantly sweet, health-giving mineral water that most Russians come for. The huge Sayany Spa (closed after going bankrupt) stands at the entrance to the village on the main street (ul Traktovaya), which then fires itself 2km straight towards the mountains. Opposite the spa grounds, the Dechen Ravzhalin Datsan has two sparkling new prayer wheels, a miniature stupa and a dazzlingly colourful interior. From here ul Traktovaya then climbs in a parade of shops, derelict Soviet architecture and plasticky cafes and guesthouses towards the bus station, after which it swerves west to the sprawling Kurort Arshan resort, where you can sample the water for free at a well-maintained well room, known as byuvet. Head up the stream from here to access the mountain footpaths or cross the river and walk 20 minutes through the forest to the diminutive Bodkhi Dkharma Datsan, set in an idyllic mountain-backed glade.
Arshan is a popular destination for trekkers, but even popular trails are virtually unmarked, which makes hiking on your own quite problematic. What anyone can safely do is explore the mouth of Kyngyrga River canyon. To reach it, walk through the Mongolian market, then climb white stairs, leading into Kurort Arshan park. From there, a forested trail runs along the precipice above the narrowing river valley. You'll finally reach wooden stairs descending to the first in a long cascade of Kyngyrga waterfalls. From the top of the stairs, a steeply ascending trail leads to an observation point with breathtaking views of both the canyon and the Tunka Valley. Think well before venturing anywhere beyond that point, as you are entering a challenging and sometimes dangerous terrain.
Arshan's most popular hike is the ascent of the 2412m-tall Peak of Love, towering above the village. Locals often dismiss it as ‘an easy hike that anyone can do’. Don't believe them. Although you don't need special training or equipment, it is a physically demanding three- to five-hour ascent along a largely unmarked trail in mountains that are famous for sudden rainstorms or snowfalls. You'll need about the same time to walk back. If you really want to do it, stick with Russians who know the trail, or – even better – prearrange a guided hike with travel agencies in Irkutsk. The trail begins behind a quarry at the far end of Kurort Arshan.
Mongolian MarketMARKET
(
GOOGLE MAP
; hdusk-dawn)
Traders bring Mongolian herbs, spices, clothes and leather items from across the nearby border to this colourful makeshift market that stretches for a few hundred metres along the Kyngyrga valley inside the territory of Kurort Arshan.
WORTH A TRIP
EXCURSIONS FROM ARSHAN
From the turn-off for Arshan it’s just 9km along the Tunka Valley road to the village of Zhemchug (Жемчуг) where, for around R200, you can wallow in a series of hot pools that leave a chalky-green residue on skin and clothes.
Around 25km further along the road, the valley’s unkempt, low-rise little ‘capital’ Kyren (Кырен) is home to the Tunka National Park HQ (
GOOGLE MAP
; %30147-41 301; www.tunkapark.ru; Kyren, ul Lenina 130). Its small onion-topped church adds foreground to the photogenic alpine backdrop.
The little spa resort of Nilova Pustyn, some 30km further, is the starting point for a popular northbound trek to Shumak, a beautiful area of grass-covered mountains with over a hundred thermal springs scattered around the valley. The trek takes around three to four days to complete and goes through uninhabited mountain terrain. A number of agencies in Irkutsk, including Baikaler, offer treks to Shumak, but these need to be arrange far in advance, as they require long preparations. The valley is home to the rather comfortable Turbaza Shumak (%3952-534 000; http://shumak.ru; r from R1600), where one can rest after the hike, taking full advantage of numerous thermal pools in the vicinity. Staff can arrange expensive weekly helicopter transfers to/from Irkutsk (one way/return R14,000/17,000).
The valley road ends at Mondy (Монды) near Munku-Sardyk (3491m), the highest mountain in Eastern Siberia and the scene of an annual mass ascent (in May) marking the beginning of the climbing season. From the nearby Mongolian border post a road runs 21km to appealing Khövsgöl Lake, Baikal's little sister. Sadly, the crossing is only open for Russian and Mongolian nationals. The area around Mondy is a part of the border exclusion zone, which requires a special permit to visit that needs to be applied for two months in advance.
Some 190km west beyond Mondy the dumbfoundingly far-flung Oka region has been dubbed ‘Tibet in miniature’. The ‘capital’ Orlik (Орлик) is the obvious place to arrange treks and horse-riding trips into some seriously isolated backcountry. The Oka River is also becoming popular with rafters.
4Sleeping & Eating
Even late at night locals line the bottom end of ul Traktovaya like hitchhikers, brandishing their ‘Жильё' (rooms) signs in hope. These sometimes turn out to be unacceptably basic homestays from R500 per bed – check standards before committing. There is also about a dozen of professionally run pensions, typically located in large log houses. These are better booked in advance.
Eateries are thin on the ground, as most visitors prebook full board in their guesthouses. Some of the cafes at the top of ul Traktovaya are truly dire.
Yasnaya PolyanaGUESTHOUSE$
(Ясная Поляна
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-904-114 7808; ul Traktovaya 109; s/d R350/700; hJun-Sep)
A friendly local English teacher runs this compound of 10 pine cottages, each containing two beds, a table, a stove ring and sometimes a kettle. Otherwise, things are pretty basic with a sun-heated shower (best in the evenings) and outdoor washing facilities.
Take the second left on entering the village (ul Traktovaya 99), then continue to the large unmarked green gate on your left.
Arshansky BorGUESTHOUSE$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-924-399 5444; http://arshanbor.ru; ul Bratyev Domshevikh 44; dm from R500)
This unmarked pink building was the best budget choice in Arshan at the time of research. Rooms are dim and spartan, and facilities display the pressures of mass occupation, but there’s a large kitchen, a common room and a barbecue area.
Maryina RoshchaHOTEL$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-950-091 4771; www.mrosha.com; ul Traktovaya 95; s/d incl breakfast from R1800/2300)
Twenty years ago, you could only find such folksy timber mansions, known as terem, in illustrated fairy-tale books, but now terem-styled hotels are popping up everywhere. This one comes with a fully fledged farm that has rabbits, chickens and a vegetable garden. Included in the price, a hearty breakfast features some of its own produce.
TuyanaHOTEL$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-950-050 0569; www.tuyana.net; ul Lermontova 2; r from R2500)
A cluster of modern timber houses with tidy, well-equipped rooms. There is a kitchen for self-caterers. The owner can advise on Peak of Love treks, but he only speaks Russian.
Monetny DvorGUESTHOUSE$$
(
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-904-115 6390, 8-950-077 3332; ul Traktovaya 89; s/d R1150/1800)
Timber-built 24-bed guesthouse with rooms in a main building and three two-storey cottages. Cycle hire available.
Zakusochnaya Khamar DabanCAFETERIA$
(Закусочная Хамар Дабан
GOOGLE MAP
; ul Traktovaya; mains R100-230; h10am-1am; a)
Located opposite the Sayan Sanatorium, this pleasant canteen serves up a large menu of Buryat comfort food, including boukhlyor (lamb broth), buuzy, khushuur (fried dumplings) and chebureki (juicy Tatar meat and cheese pastry). The handwritten menu can be a challenge.
8Getting There & Away
The miniature bus station near the top of ul Traktovaya has the village’s only ATM, plus left-luggage lockers. Tickets to Ulan-Ude are sold at the Arshan spa's own avtokassa across the square from the bus station. Arshan has the following bus and marshrutka connections:
AIrkutsk R400, three to six daily
AKultuk (for Slyudyanka) R220 two hours, one or two daily
AUlan-Ude (via Kyren) R800, 11 hours, four daily
Eastern Baikal
Backed by the snow-capped Khamar-Daban mountains in the south and providing a gateway to the dramatic Barguzin Valley in the north, the eastern coast of Baikal is no less interesting than its western, which gets the bulk of visitors. That said, it is popular with local urbanites, from both Irkutsk and Ulan-Ude, so guesthouses or turbazy holiday camps can be found anywhere along the coast. There is plenty to do, from skiing or surfing in the south to birdwatching in the delta of the Selenga River and some serious hiking on Svyatoy Nos peninsula.
Selenga Delta
Some 300 waterways feed Lake Baikal, but none compare in size and volume to the Selenga River. One of only 80 rivers around the world to form a delta, the Selenga dumps its load of sand (and pollution from Mongolia) on Baikal’s eastern shore in a huge fan of islands, reed beds and shallow channels measuring 35km across. Over 200 bird species draw spotters from all over the world; motorboat trips can be arranged through Ulan-Ude agencies.
Between birdwatching sessions many bed down in the village of Posolskoe, immediately south of the delta, where the Western-standard Sofiya Hotel (
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-914-638 9521; full pension R1800) shares a lakeside location right beside a beautifully renovated monastery. Posolskoe is also the venue of regular water-sports competitions, usually held in August, and ice boat races held in March. Sergei Klimov is the best person to contact, if you are interested in watching or participating.
Immediately north of the delta, a road bound for Zarechye passes several classic Baikal villages of unpainted log houses with sea-blue window shutters. The popular sandy beach at Enkhaluk fills up with Ulan-Ude residents in the hot months. Baikalskaya Solianka (
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-902-565 3951, 3012-297 499; http://baikalmix.ru/; ul Lesnaya 17, Novy Enkhaluk; d/q with full board from R6000/10,000, yurts per person with full board from R1400) is a funky-looking and popular place to stay. Around 10km further on, the Zagza thermal spring (
GOOGLE MAP
; R200; h9am-9pm) provides a welcome alternative to Baikal's icy waters. A couple of kilometres beyond it, at Sukhaya, there is a good Buryat restaurant that also has rooms.
South of the Selenga
East of Slyudyanka, the Trans-Siberian Railway and the parallel motorway skirt the coast up to Selenga Delta, where they both take a sharp turn east towards Ulan-Ude. Here, the snow-peaked Khamar-Daban Mountains rise steeply from the lake shore, leaving just a narrow strip of flat alluvial plain dotted with villages, where Irkutsk residents buy holiday homes to escape the city on hot summer weekends.
There are plenty of accommodation options, all of which are primarily geared to domestic tourists. Russians rave about Ryzhaya Sova (Рыжая сова, Red Owl
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-914-006 4407; https://vk.com/copper_owl; ul Mira 15, Mangutay; per person from R750) at Mangutay (19km from Slyudyanka) and Baikal Yeti (
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-904-150 0000; www.baikalyeti.com; ul Beregovaya 12, Utulik; dm/s/d from R500/1200/2000) in Utulik (32km from Slyudyanka).
Further north, 6km from Utulik, the unlovely Baikalsk is home to the now-defunct Baikal Pulp and Paper Plant, which once was the lake's main polluter. However, it's swarming with visitors in winter, thanks to Sobolinaya Gora (Соболиная гора GOOGLE MAP ; www.baikalski.com) ski resort, which has been tested and approved by one avid skier, Vladimir Putin.
More adventurous skiers head to Mamay Mountain, near Vydrino, at the border of Irkutsk Region and Buryatiya. It has turned into a mecca for off-piste skiers, thanks to the efforts of Extreme Sports Federation, an informal group of adventure-sports fans led by Sergei Klimov and based in Ulan-Ude. He is the best person to contact for details on access and conditions.
North of the Selenga
Access to the coast is across a forested pass from Ulan-Ude via tiny Baturino village, with its elegantly renovated Sretenskaya Church.
After around 2½ hours’ drive, the newly paved road first meets Lake Baikal at pretty little Gremyachinsk (Гремячинск), a popular trip out of Ulan-Ude for hurried Trans-Siberian travellers with a day to spare. Located here is the good value Baykalskaya Riviera (
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-983-531 2313; http://baikalriviera.ru; ul Lesnaya 36, Gremyachinsk; summer cabins s/d incl breakfast R1800/2400, with full board R2800/4400, standard incl breakfast s/d R4200/4600, with full board R5200/6600). The only fully fledged resort in the whole of Baikal, it offers simple, tastefully decorated summer-only wooden cabins and hotel-style accommodation year-round. Buses stop at a roadside cafe from which Gremyachinsk’s sandy but litter-strewn beach is a 15-minute walk up ul Komsomolskaya. Marshrutky back to Ulan-Ude are often full so consider prebooking your return.
Approximately 5km from Gremyachinsk, at least 10 large tourist camps are strung around Lake Kotokel, whose thermal springs keep it warm year-round. At the northern end of the lake rises Monastyrsky Island, once home to an isolated hermitage and a church.
The main road offers surprisingly few Baikal views until the fishing port of Turka, from where there are pleasant walks to several secluded bays in either direction. Bigger Goryachinsk (Горячинск), around 3km from the lake, is centred on a typically institutional hot-springs kurort (spa) with cheap cottage homestays in the surrounding village.
Further north through the uninhabited taiga lies the quaint little fishing hamlet of Maksimikha (Максимиха), where picturesque Baikal beaches stretch northwest. From here the blacktop bends before zipping through the forest to Ust-Barguzin.
Ust-Barguzin Усть-Баргузин
Low-rise Ust-Barguzin has sandy streets of traditional log homes with blue-and-white carved window frames. These are most attractive towards the northern end of the main street, ul Lenina, where it reaches the Barguzin River ferry. From here, views are magical towards the high-ridged peaks of the Svyatoy Nos Peninsula. Travelling in this remote area would be hard if not for the eminent Aleksander Beketov, who runs Beketov Homestay (
GOOGLE MAP
; %30131-91 574; per Bolnichny 9, Ust-Barguzin; full board per person R1550, tent pitch R100) and Banya Museum (
GOOGLE MAP
; %30131-91 574; per Bolnichny 9, Ust-Barguzin; hby appointment only).
Daily marshrutky from Ust-Barguzin to to Ulan-Ude (R430 to R510, five hours) run twice a day and will pick you up from your accommodation if you book ahead. In July and August a daily hydrofoil links Ust-Barguzin with Irkutsk and Khuzhir on Olkhon Island; check out VSRP for details. In February and March the ice drive across Lake Baikal to Severobaikalsk takes around five hours.
Buy tickets ahead for Ulan-Ude–Barguzin marshrutky (R700, seven hours, three daily) and services to Kurumkan (R900, nine hours, two daily). From Barguzin public transport to Ust-Barguzin, Uro and Kurumkan is rare, though there’s usually at least one service early morning and in the afternoon. Hitchhike or arrange a tour through the Beketovs in Ust-Barguzin.
Svyatoy Nos Peninsula
Rising almost vertically out of shimmering waters, dramatic Svyatoy Nos is one of Lake Baikal’s most impressive features. It’s within the mostly impenetrable Zabaikalsky National Park and joined to Ust-Barguzin by a muddy 20km sandbar that’s possible but painful to drive along (there’s also a toll). Guides can be hired at the national park offices ( GOOGLE MAP ; per Bolnichny 9, Ust-Barguzin) in Ust-Barguzin for all-day trek-climbs to the top of the peninsula, more than 1800m above Lake Baikal. The views from the summit are truly awe-inspiring.
Nerpa seals are particularly abundant off the peninsula’s west coast around the Ushkanny Islands, accessible by charter boat from Ust-Barguzin. Contact Aleksander Beketov at the national park headquarters. Prices begin at around R6000.
Barguzin & The Barguzin Valley
The road north from Ust-Barguzin emerges from thick forests at Barguzin, a low-rise town of wooden cottages that dates back to 1648. Walking from the bus station, you can see its handful of dilapidated historic buildings in about 20 minutes by heading along ul Krasnoarmeyskaya past the cursorily renovated old church to pl Lenina. Opposite the quaint little post office, the wooden-colonnaded Former Uezdny Bank (ul Krasnoarmeyskaya 54, Barguzin) was once the grand home of Decembrist Mikhail Kyukhelbeker. Other exiles to make a home in Barguzin were Jews from Poland and European Russia who arrived here in the 1830s and 1860s. The last signs of the Jewish community can be seen in the crumbling old cemetery (a block northeast of the church), where crooked Hebrew-inscribed graves stand to the left and Orthodox headstones, including that of Decembrist Mikhail Kyukhelbeker, to the right. Hidden in the village school and difficult to access, the small museum (
GOOGLE MAP
; %8-924-391 3126; https://vk.com/muzej_barguzin; ul Kalinina 51a, Barguzin; R100) has some interesting Decembrist-related exhibits as well as the usual dusty rocks and mammoth bones.
Barguzin’s real interest is as a launch pad for visiting the stunningly beautiful Barguzin Valley as it opens out into wide lake-dotted grassland, gloriously edged by a vast Toblerone of mountain peaks. These are most accessibly viewed across the meandering river plain from Uro village. Similarly inspiring panoramas continue for miles towards the idyllic village of Suvo, overshadowed by rock towers of the Suvo Saxony (Suvinskaya Saksoniya), so-called for its similarity to rock formations on the Czech–Saxony border. A few kilometres beyond Suvo, the roadside Bukhe Shulun (Byk), a huge boulder resembling a bull’s hoof, is considered to have miraculous powers. Heading north you’ll pass through widely scattered, old-fashioned villages where horse carts and sleighs outnumber cars. Way up on the valley’s mountainous west side, Kurumkan (411km northeast of Ulan-Ude) has a small but photogenic peak-backed datsan (Buddhist temple). The valley tapers to a point 50km north of Kurumkan at Alla, where a tiny kurort (spa) can accommodate guests in the summer months.